Accuracy overcomes distance deficit

June 11, 2010

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By T.J. Tomasi

Golf is like life — when they give you lemons, you’ve got to make lemonade. When Calvin Peete fell out of a tree, the 11-year-old broke his left arm in three places and it never healed correctly, so his forearm couldn’t rotate. He played his first game of golf at 23 in 1966, then qualified for the PGA tour in 1973 and won 12 times.

Peete wasn’t long, but he was arrow straight in part because his injury made it easier to avoid the accuracy killer of an over-rotated clubface. At address, his clubface was square, it was square at the top and square at impact. He was a great player who built his swing around a disability that might have discouraged others.

A scoring titan

Today there is a player who also has issues with his front forearm. Tim Clark has a congenital problem that makes it difficult for the 2010 Players champion to pronate — rotate his left palm toward the ground.

While short off the tee, “Tiny Tim” (he’s 5’7” and weighs 165 pounds) averaged 69.88 strokes per round in 2009, an impressive feat that proves he can square the face at impact. Remember that the clubface determines 85 percent to 90 percent of the direction, so if you want to be accurate, you must find a way to control the clubface.

Both Peete and Clark capitalized on a disability, accepting the fact that they would never be long and building their entire game around accuracy. Most golfers don’t do this.

They are obsessed with hitting the ball as hard and as far as they can. This leads to over-rotation of the clubface and an inability to produce a clubface that is pointing down the target line at impact.

What can you learn from these two really good players who out of necessity chose accuracy over the long ball?

First, keep your elbows close together. Most amateurs have elbows that separate as they swing, and that forces the clubface off the swing arc so that impact is never the same twice in a row. By keeping your elbows close together, especially in the downswing, you’ll find it’s much easier to have a repetitive motion.

Next, feel as if your elbows are always pointing at the ground. You can’t do this, but you should feel as if you are — especially at address and impact.

The drill

Hit some balls with

a belt or elastic tubing tied around your arms just above the elbows to keep them close to each other. Start with some 60- to 80-yard wedges to get the feel of having your elbows close together. Once you get used to the feeling, hit some full shots with a driver.

Accuracy overcomes distance deficitBy T.J. Tomasi Golf is like life — when they give you lemons, you’ve got to make lemonade. When Calvin Peete fell out of a tree, the 11-year-old broke his left arm in three places and it never healed correctly, so his forearm couldn’t rotate. He played his first game of golf at 23 in 1966, then qualified for the PGA tour in 1973 and won 12 times.Peete wasn’t long, but he was arrow straight in part because his injury made it easier to avoid the accuracy killer of an over-rotated clubface. At address, his clubface was square, it was square at the top and square at impact. He was a great player who built his swing around a disability that might have discouraged others.A scoring titanToday there is a player who also has issues with his front forearm. Tim Clark has a congenital problem that makes it difficult for the 2010 Players champion to pronate — rotate his left palm toward the ground. While short off the tee, “Tiny Tim” (he’s 5’7” and weighs 165 pounds) averaged 69.88 strokes per round in 2009, an impressive feat that proves he can square the face at impact. Remember that the clubface determines 85 percent to 90 percent of the direction, so if you want to be accurate, you must find a way to control the clubface.Both Peete and Clark capitalized on a disability, accepting the fact that they would never be long and building their entire game around accuracy. Most golfers don’t do this. They are obsessed with hitting the ball as hard and as far as they can. This leads to over-rotation of the clubface and an inability to produce a clubface that is pointing down the target line at impact.
What can you learn from these two really good players who out of necessity chose accuracy over the long ball? First, keep your elbows close together. Most amateurs have elbows that separate as they swing, and that forces the clubface off the swing arc so that impact is never the same twice in a row. By keeping your elbows close together, especially in the downswing, you’ll find it’s much easier to have a repetitive motion.
Next, feel as if your elbows are always pointing at the ground. You can’t do this, but you should feel as if you are — especially at address and impact.The drillHit some balls witha belt or elastic tubing tied around your arms just above the elbows to keep them close to each other. Start with some 60- to 80-yard wedges to get the feel of having your elbows close together. Once you get used to the feeling, hit some full shots with a driver.

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